


Transmutation

by butteredbandits



Series: Roche Week 2021 [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Drowning, Gen, Medical Trauma, Needles, Roche Week 2021, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28979175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butteredbandits/pseuds/butteredbandits
Summary: Roche takes his first dip in a mako tank.
Series: Roche Week 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125632
Kudos: 11





	Transmutation

**Author's Note:**

> *revs engine*  
> AW YEAH ROCHE WEEK!  
> I'm starting off with some whump for my first prompt, Mako!

Years of training were about to come to fruition. It was supposed to be exciting, but Roche’s heart had found an uncomfortable spot thrumming up in his throat. He was damn close to a panic attack by the time the doctors had him seated and prepped for the first round of injections. He’d heard the guy before him start screaming, and that’s when the exhilaration had dropped right out of things. What the hell were they going to do to him?

The feeling of vulnerability was only made worse by the fact that he was stripped down to his underwear, with all sorts of monitoring equipment attached to him. The worst was the EKG stickers tugging at his skin, and all the wires promised to tangle if he attempted to retreat. No, no choice. The NDA had threatened worse than death if he tried to quit.

At the sight of the needle, filled with something that could only be described as neon, Roche found himself shrinking back in the chair with a nervous laugh. There was no going back, he’d made the commitment to this when he’d signed up. Still, the panic kept him frozen long enough for the doctor to sink the needle into his IV and push the plunger down. 

Heat crawled up Roche’s arm instantly, as if he could feel whatever it was racing into each of his veins. Within a few moments his heart began to race and the world felt like it was tilting sideways. Whatever had been in the syringe included some sort of painkiller. The uncomfortable sensation ebbed away, leaving only the feeling of warmth spreading through his body. 

"How are you feeling?" The doctor's tone was devoid of emotion, clinical. Made sense if he had to do the same treatment to 30 more people.

"Fine." Roche lied, he didn't want to admit to the terror surging inside of him.

The doctor typed something onto the terminal in front of him and returned with another syringe. This one was pure metal, preventing Roche from identifying what was inside of it. 

"What's that?" He tried to sound calm, without much success. 

"This serum will allow your body to metabolize mako. Brace yourself." The doctor didn't provide Roche with any time to actually brace.

It felt the same as the last injection, for all of a few seconds. The heat was far more intense this time around, instantly making Roche begin to sweat. It  _ hurt  _ and left him panting as his heart lunged in his chest. A metallic taste coalesced over his tongue and the bright lights overhead pierced into his eyes. He could hear the various beeps of the surrounding medical equipment increasing in frequency but his vision was starting to go fuzzy and oddly blue tinged. Was he screaming? It was hard to tell with every nerve in his body pinging with what felt like electricity.

It was as if he was losing control of his body, drifting further away by the second. Was he dying? He fought the sensation, desperate to hold out. He managed enough control to close both hands into fists, the moment between thinking of the action and when it occurred stretching on for far too long. 

The sound of a resonating hum began to build. Roche couldn't tell if it was a hallucination, he was too busy fighting the sensation of being forced out of his body. The hiss pitched low, then higher, shaping into a faint voice that sounded like it was coming from all directions. 

_ Destroy it all. _

That hadn't been his own voice, Roche turned to look at the doctor in a panic, only to find that his surroundings had changed. He was standing in a metal tube with a glass panel on the front, giving him a view into a room filled with mako tanks. When had he moved? Why couldn't he remember leaving the previous room? Or taking off his underwear?

A sudden hiss caught his attention, the pressure in the tank had changed. Panic finally took over as Roche regained full control of his body. The delay from his actions was gone and he stumbled forward to press against the glass, desperate to find someone to help him escape. He couldn't do this, he didn't want to turn into a monster. All the promises of power, of money, it didn't matter now that he was faced with his own mortality. He tried to pound on the glass and only succeeded in bruising himself. 

He moved to sit on the cool metal floor of the tank, suddenly exhausted and dizzy.

It was too late. No one was going to free him. Bright blue fluid began to pour into the tank from spouts along the sides. It was warm, and as it pooled around Roche's ankles he realized it left his skin tingling in a pleasant way. 

_ Consume.  _

The voice was stronger now, sounding alien inside of Roche's head. Why did it sound so desperate and hungry? It had to be the drugs. The alternative was worse, so Roche pinched his eyes shut and tried to convince himself everything was going to be fine. 

It was only once the water reached his chest that Roche remembered that he could drown. Another bout of panic took root as he tried to keep his head above the water line. He moved to stand and attempted to beat on the glass and shout for help again. It didn't get him anywhere. When there was only a few inches of air left he took a deep breath and allowed himself to float down in the water. 

He could only hold his breath for so long. Roche was certain that the doctor had explained this part to him, but he'd lost time between getting the injections and waking up in the tank. All he could do was try and hold on until someone realized they'd forgotten to give him an oxygen tank. 

Roche opened his eyes and was shocked to find the mako-infused water didn't sting. In fact it felt good, and his body pulsed with a rolling wave of pleasure. The pain that had taken root in his core was slowly vanishing. Strange. 

But he was still holding his breath and his lungs ached with desperation for air. At last he reached his limit and his body involuntarily sucked in a gasp- water flooded his throat and Roche thrashed as he started to drown. It burned the back of his throat and he began to sink down as weight pressed inside of him. Except… he wasn’t drowning.

Of course it was aerated. 

The swell of mako infused water in his lungs still felt unnatural and strange, but now that he knew he wasn't going to die, Roche finally relaxed. The mako in the water shimmered around him and Roche could feel the way his body started to absorb it. A sense of calm he hadn't felt since the entire procedure began had started enveloped him.

Within moments he was drawn into a relaxed, meditative state. It felt like coming home, and he became aware of the way the mako was sinking into his skin, through every fiber of his being. The aches from his training sessions ebbed away. It was healing him, making even his oldest scars fade away.

It didn't take long for Roche to fall asleep. There were no dreams, just the sensation of being at peace. When he woke it was to the sound of the mako tank draining. 

Even when the water dropped below his waist and he was left retching the teal fluid from his lungs, it dawned on Roche that he'd never felt better before in his life. The gain in strength hadn't been a lie, he could feel how his muscles and even his bones were denser. 

As the door slid open and he inhaled in his first breath of fresh air, he could smell things he hadn't noticed before. The dust of the room, the pleasant aroma of a technician's perfume, the rich, clean smell of mako. Even though the lights in the room were low, he could see every last detail. And above all he felt energized, eager for the chance to fight, or at the very least take a motorcycle ride while he was still riding his high. 

It wasn't difficult to write off the voice he'd heard, he was feeling like a brand new man. Those fears could live in the past. He couldn't imagine being afraid ever again, not with the very lifeblood of the planet singing in his veins. Years later he'd realize that fear was one of the things that made him human, and he'd left a part of himself behind that day. 


End file.
